Always Human Review

Characters (left to right): Austen and Sunati

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: In the futuristic 24^th century where people use mods to modify themselves, VR environment designer Sunati meets university student Austen who has Egan’s Syndrome which makes her body intolerant to mods. 

My Thoughts: I went into this expecting a cute, sapphic romance with some sci-fi that would make me smile a little. While I already had good expectations out of this, I can proudly attest to it exceeding and blowing them out of the water. It might have been cute and sapphic it went beyond that premise. Despite being a sci-fi story taking place in the future, its characters and situations are far more plausible and relatable than many stories set in the present day. First and foremost, I must commend the author, Ari North, for constructing such a beautiful and diverse universe full of unique people of various races, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds, and genders including non-binary individuals using they/them pronouns. Even better, it’s treated and introduced in a very casual, natural way that doesn’t come across as queerbaiting. Heck, one of the main character’s parents is a supportive polyamorous couple. However, my favorite aspect besides the vivid, eclectic watercolor art was the handling and pacing of Austen and Sunati’s relationship. Initially, Sunati starts talking to and going out with Austen because she always sees her in the train station with the same natural look, unlike most people who regularly change mods. Understandably enough, Austen doesn’t take much pleasure in this fact since it makes her feel like some sort of exotic exhibition. Fortunately, the attraction evolves beyond superficial intrigue and becomes an intimate one with honesty, emotional support, and mutual respect as the backbone as the two learn more about each other. Like most couples, they face challenges, disagreements, and moments of intrapersonal conflicts that lends its way to unwitting miscommunication. But unlike certain romances where the tensions will be dramatized to the max with frustrating love triangles, deception, manipulation, and other sensational pablum, the conflicts here are more down-to-earth including test anxiety, self-doubt, and maintaining long-distance relationships to name a few. In addition, the spacey soundtrack perfectly enhanced the overall atmosphere.

Final Thoughts: Always Human is a wonderful series I recommend to any person looking for a sweet and wholesome queer romance with relatable characters and a good plot. It's easily my fourth favorite Webtoon series. With that, I’ll be reading Ari North’s other completed series Aerial Magic.

Link to webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/always-human/list?title_no=557&page=1